One of the cardinal rules of professional wrestling is that not everything is as it seems. Kylie Rae, is a prime example of this statement. On the surface, she’s cheerful and bubbly, able to light up a room with her overall pleasant demeanor.
It would be difficult for the average wrestling fan not to cheer for her. In the ring, though, it quickly becomes apparent that she is more than capable of holding her own.
Chicago native, Kylie Rae’s earliest days in the business to her current status as a top performer in a promotion with considerable buzz behind it.
Rae began her wrestling training in the mid-2010s, training under six-time world champion and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T.
This level of training eventually led to Rae wrestling for the legendary wrestler’s promotion, Reality of Wrestling, based out of Houston, Texas. She wrestled her first match for ROW in March of 2016, defeating Ivory Robyn for the promotion’s Diamonds Championship.
This immediately cemented her as a solid force in the promotion. She successfully defended the title up until November, where she lost it in a three-way match against Jada Keys, which also featured Miranda Alize.
Before the year was out, though, Rae regained the Diamonds Championship from Keys in December at Christmas Chaos XI.
Kylie Rae
In 2017, Rae successfully defended the ROW Diamonds Championship until May, when she lost it to Kayla Lynn. In November, she made her way to AAW, based out of Berwyn, Illinois.
Rae debuted for the promotion at Hell Hath No Fury, where she defeated Su Yung in the first round tournament match for the AAW Women’s Championship.
The night after, she lost her semifinal match against Rachael Ellering. It was also during this month that Rae started working for RISE Wrestling, based out of Naperville.
In her first match for the promotion, at RISE 5, she was defeated by Nicole Savoy. In Freelance Underground, based out of Chicago, Rae teamed with GPA to form the tag team Awkward Team, Hunger Force.
Together, at Baderbrawl 3, they defeated Tony Nas and Roy Gordon, collectively known as Superiority Complex for the FU Tag Team Championship.
In December, at ROW Christmas Chaos XII, Rae defeated Robyn to become the first – and so far, only – three-time ROW Diamonds Champion.
Raven Black Memorial Tournament
On January 27th, 2018, Rae participated in Capital Wrestling Alliance’s first Raven Black Memorial Tournament. Rae defeated Lacey Lane and Thunder Rosa in the three-way first-round match, Solo Darling in the semifinal, and finally, Santana Garrett in the finals.
The latter victory resulted in Rae becoming the first CWA Champion. In February, Rae dropped the ROW Diamonds Championship to Hyan.
On May 12th, Rae took part in another tournament: The Making Towns Classic at Making Towns Wrestling, based out of Nashville, Tennessee.
Rae defeated Veda Scott in the first round, Yung in the semifinals, and came out successful in the four-way final to win the tournament.
In October, at FU Halloween Hijinx, Awkward Team Hunger Force dropped the FU Tag Team Championship to Marshe Rockett and Acid Jaz.
Rae’s luck would quickly turn around in November, at AAW Unstoppable, where she defeated Kimber Lee for the promotion’s Women’s Championship. She would successfully defend it twice in December to close out the year.
Zelo Pro Women’s Championship
Rae made the most of 2019 early on, winning the Zelo Pro Women’s Championship in January, in addition to the FW and BCW Ladies Championships the month after.
However, Rae’s success during this year wasn’t entirely focused on title victories. During the same month, All Elite Wrestling held its Double or Nothing ticket announcement party, and to say that news was plentiful would be an understatement.
Chief Brand Officer at the time, Brandi Rhodes took to the podium and welcomed one of the latest signees to the AEW women’s division.
Rae made her way to the podium, expressing her gratitude and a sense of optimism about the opportunity she was given. Nyla Rose, another AEW signee, made her way to the podium to confront Rae.
The event became so tense that personnel was forced to separate them. Later, it was announced that Rae, Rose, and Britt Baker would face off at Double or Nothing. This is set to take place on May 25th, in a triple threat match.
Kylie Rae –
Independent Wrestling Scene
Following this announcement, Kylie Rae continued to compete on the independent scene. In March, at RISE 13: Legendary, she defeated Mercedes Martinez to win her first Phoenix of RISE Championship.
However, in the match that followed, an exhausted Rae dropped said title to Zoe Lucas. At Double or Nothing, she wrestled not only Rose and Baker, but Awesome Kong.
Kong became a surprise competitor courtesy of Rhodes. This resulted in the scheduled triple threat becoming a four-way. Despite a valiant effort by Rae, including a suicide dive onto the imposing Kong, Baker came away victorious.
Despite the aforementioned loss, Kylie Rae remains steadfast. One of the characteristics that endeared her to fans is her plucky demeanor.
Though she may fall, she’s not one to stay down for long. Especially now as challenges in AEW continue to develop. Rae may not have been the victor in Vegas.
But the fact that she competed in one of the first women’s matches in AEW cannot be understated. She is determined to become successful in the upstart promotion, putting smiles on fans’ faces in the process.
Kylie Rae hasn’t been without her share of challenges. As seen below, she has battled mental health and substance abuse, and while never being something that one ever overcomes, it should be held in regard that she took the time to recover.
Unfortunately, I found myself in a relapse situation and need some time for recovery. This has been going on since late August and has gradually regressed since then.
I tried holding this in and working through the pain, doing my best to fulfill commitments, but it’s become too much, and needed help.
I have been having a difficult time differentiating what is real and what is fake, especially in these types of environments. Regretfully, I tried masking the pain through marijuana and alcohol.
I have tried to be as open as I can with all of you about my mental health struggles, but I was not being honest with the unhealthy coping mechanisms I adapted.
For that, I’m deeply sorry. Graciously, with the help of loved ones, I have been working towards sobriety again.
I was hoping things would get better this weekend, but this doesn’t seem to be a quick fix. At this time, I am seeking further help and am hoping to come back a healthier version of myself.
Moving forward, I would like to express my gratitude for all of you, and the continuous support and compassion you have given me.
Whether you were able to understand or not, I always felt your empathy and I can’t thank you enough for that. With love always. <3
Now as a mother, a beloved fan favorite on the independent circuit, Kylie Rae has nothing but time and opportunity in front of her.
